Going by the accumulated debts which have piled up over time as part of unpaid electricity bills from millions of customers within the franchise area of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), the Management of IBEDC has resolved to disconnect electricity and plunge thousands of houses in blackout if bills were not paid on time.
The Management of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, which listed Ogun, Oyo, Kwara, Osun, and some parts of Niger, Kogi, and Ekiti States as franchise areas of IBEDC Distribution Coverage, said there would be blackout in all the places mentioned starting from next month if backlog of electricity bills were not paid on or before June.
Speaking in Ilorin, the Kwara State Capital on Wednesday, Kingsley Achife, managing director/chief executive officer, IBEDC, declared that the market operator, a unit in the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), would disconnect IBEDC feeders from the national grid due to poor remittances from next month.
Consequently, the electricity consumers in Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Kwara and some parts of Kogi, Ekiti and Niger States would be affected.
Achife, who spoke through a press statement made available to journalists in Ilorin noted that “the disconnection may result in power outages to customers within IBEDC franchise area.”
“He added, “As a revenue collection arm of the electricity value chain, IBEDC sells and distributes electricity generated by the generation companies.
“However, the company is unable to meet its financial obligations to the electricity value chain due to poor payment and huge outstanding bills by customers.
“We urge our customers to note that failure to pay current and outstanding electricity bills may result in disruption of power to homes, communities, and businesses connected to our network.”
